The taintedblood Timeline  -  what really happened...

A letter is sent to parents in the Coventry area by Dr M.D. Williams, Registrar in Haematology stating: "We are sure that you would be aware of the recent publicity about AIDS and the possible risk of this occurring in haemophiliacs using Factor VIII concentrate and we would like to monitor all our haemophiliacs because of this and we would therefore be grateful if you and your child could attend the Blood Bank for a blood test."

Note: This letter suggests that some sort of early blood test was available for HIV (probably termed HTLV-III) as early as June 1983. The date of the test is June 30th at Walsgrave Hospital Blood Bank, and the letter goes on to offer the results by 11 July 1983, which is just 11 days later.

The National Institutes of Health develops and patents a prototype screening test for HIV antibodies and, by May, has solicited applications from various US manufacturers interested in the commercial use of the tests.

Chiengsong Popov and others in the Lancet announce reliable tests for HIV:

34% of tested English haemophiliacs have virus.

The FDA approves the first AIDS antibody test, which is immediately used to screen the USA's blood banks.

Blood is now routinely tested in the United States, and the FDA informs the UK's DHSS of these new requirements.

Testing for HIV with the new ELISA test begins late March 1985.

HIV-antibody testing begins in the USA.

HIV testing is implemented by the American Association of Blood Banks, the Red Cross, and the Council of Community Blood Centers.

They release recommendations for notifying donors testing positive for the test as well as recipients of previous donations from infected individuals.

On 15th October 1985 the Blood Transfusion Services Board commences the testing of donors for HIV.

Blood banks endorse the CDC's recommendation that patients transfused between 1978 and April of 1985 be tested.

Testing of HIV only becomes mandatory in US plasma centers in December 1987.

GMC guidelines state health professionals "must obtain consent before testing for a serious communicable disease. Some conditions, such as HIV, have serious social and financial, as well as medical, implications. In such cases, you must make sure that the patient is given appropriate information about the implications of the test, and appropriate time to consider and discuss them."

GMC guidelines state that even for the purposes of research, patients must be given full counselling and the right to refuse permission for the test.

Also, in cases where a patient is in denial about his or her illness, the GMC states that a doctor has a duty to disclose that information.